Sorry guys, this normally never happens but i have to stay on late at work tonight to help finish up a project for another team, there is a very slim chance i'd get home just in time for the event kicking off but i cant promise anything as dont know how long they will need me. This is the last of something they have been working on since last year so dont expect to have to do this again, sorry for the short notice.

I'm just done with episode 8 having binged watched all of Daredevil the week before last and most of Jessica Jones last week. I dont have much exposure to the character outwith the show but so far i'm loving it, she feels believable in a way that some of the movie MCU characters dont and Killgrave is just incredible. Everytime i finish an episode i check my watch to see if i have time for just one more lol

I started the new year how i seem to start every year now, grinding away on Final Fantasy XIV. A new relic weapon was released mid December which involves progressing through 3 very frustrating phases to complete. I also had enough of the Free Company (guild) i was in and moved to a much more social one which has aided in my progress.
I started playing another game by Square-Enix by the name of Life is Strange, its an adventure game not unlike something Telltale would release but with a slightly more grounded setting and a weird mix of the Butterfly effect and Donnie Darko thrown in. Suffice to say i was taken aback by just how great the story telling is and some of the WTF moments that i never saw coming, I am very much looking forward to seeing how the whole thing rolls out in the end.
I spent some time playing Monster Hunter Online (the chinese mmo) and it only made me wish i could play Monster Hunter 4 on the big screen all the more. I have made such little progression on the 3ds game that i have decided it is going to be the target of renewed focus, especially after hearing just how amazing Monster Hunter X has been so far.

Name: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES for short) (Home Console) & NES Portable (Handheld)
Graphical capability: Slightly better than PS4 and X1 (Home Console) Slightly better than Vita (Handheld)
Controller style: Likely to have multiple configerations like the WiiU had at launch, the machine will likely be compatible with the WiiU and Wii controllers and will come with one redisgned Classic controller with a small screen that has touch.
The gimmick: The NES portable is the console, like the Neo Geo X it will be placed inside the home console docking unit which will give it access to a "home configeration" joining the graphics cards together similar to an SLI and unlocking the expanded memory and controller options. The new Nintendo Network account will allow cross buy for any compatible games and allow you to sign into any new Nintendo device with the same interface, trophies/achievements also seem likely this time.
Hard drive size: likely smallish SD card in the portable but a 500gb ssd/flash memory built into the machine with the option of adding external USB drives and cards.
Launch lineup: An upgraded port of the WiiU Zelda game and Mario Maker, a new Mario themed game (not a 3d one), Monster Hunter, Phantasy Star Online 2, Final Fantasy XIV, Dragon Quest Online, an "exclusive" game from UBI, Rise of the Tombraider, Call of Duty and ports of the other big cross platform titles on other consoles
No. of Bundles available at launch: 2, one that comes with the NES and portable and the controller and one that ships with the same but with a larger hard drive, a NES branded version of the wii and WiiU controllers and a half baked early backers deal.
Price: £350 for the basic, £450 for premium
Release date: September 2017

To be fair it launched in a very overcrowded time of the year, heavy hitters like Fallout 4, Rise of the Tombraider, Xenoblade and Star Wars Battlefront launched all very close together. I do get the feeling the game will have a bit of a tail on it with people getting vouchers etc for Christmas and the others who couldnt afford it due to buying gifts finally getting a chance in the new year.
I really hope it does well for both Nintendo and Shin'en, i was completely blown away by just how good it was and it would be criminal for it to vanish into the ether.

@Esequiel Not for a long time now, when XIV ARR finally came out (and resolved the majority of issues left behind by 1.0) i jumped ship and never looked back. We just got the XI farewell event in XIV last month, was kind of emotional to realise that game is pretty much abandonware now but nothing lasts forever.

Pretty decent way to round things out, last two episodes have been fairly good actually focusing on telling an interesting story, sure its bubblegum in its way but its good bubblegum. Clara is going to become the writers single use get out of jail free card in a season or 2, they will put the doctor in a situation he cant possibly escape from and she will randomly appear to save the day likely sustaining a life ending injury that she has to go back into her death sequence for.
Either way despite a few weird deus ex machina moments and some silly writing this was for me a much better season and im looking forward to whatever they have next.

I woldnt worry about what you pick for the multiplayer stuff too much, you get given the choice of six different sections you can work for but its so trivial to switch between them on a whim that it wont be an issue. That said i have played zero of the online stuff yet, spent 4 hours on yesterday and then Final Fantasy VII launched on PSN, soo many RPGS!!!

Played a couple of hours but kept looking for the option to switch to Japanese VO only to find out there is none lol, ah well its hardly a deal breaker but would have been nice.
Just going to start playing again now, combat system is not what i expected but it isnt bad, im far too early in the story at this point to have a proper opinion.

Im with you man, the way they have treated their staff has been disgusting, all their big talents have left/been forced out (Iga, Kojima) and that thing last night was just the final straw. Keighley was right to expose it, Kojima deserved better than that.

A lot of it can just be the kinds of games you end up playing in the end, this year and most of last year every big title was an open world adventure packed with stupid amounts of grindy side quests, its really easy to get lost to them and not make that much progress in the story. As gamers we are always looking for secrets and feel a need to finish every single mission/quest, it can lead to games just becoming artificially long.
To be fair even if i somehow managed to somehow exist without any sleep id never get everything done, there literally isnt enough time in the day.

I really hope Nintendo and Capcom have the next big Monster Hunter arrive on the NX or whatever it ends up being called, if it does turn out to be a hybrid console it will be the best of both worlds for those who like gaming on the go and those who enjoy playing on their tv.
From what i've been hearing about X the combat system is the unique selling point of the entire game, the styles change the way the combat and weapons work as well as the moves available to you. I didnt get to the end of 3U and i've barely started 4 so i really need to get moving!

There are some videos for my brand of TV that i watched a while back on youtube by folk that play a lot of games, basically just followed that as closely as possible and it looks nice enough...most of them use the same or very similar settings so set it somewhere in between.
As for that slider for games, i always put it up quite high so the skull/face/whatever is fairly visable, when playing games like Fallout and Elderscrolls it just makes it less of a nightmare when you are trying to stealth kill things in the dark.

I work from 8-4 so its a 6am start, usually get home around 6pm, make dinner, spend an hour or two with my girlfriend and then straight up stairs to get some gaming in. Usually get around 6 hours a night in on a week night (only sleep 4 hours a night except weekends) and typically a lot more at the weekend unless im catching up on anime/comics/tv but i try to keep it to a minimum.
Even with only 4 hours sleep though i still feel like i barely get anything done, doesnt help that i play massive JRPGs and western games like Fallout and the Witcher where you can literally spend 2 hours wandering around town talking to folk. I kinda get OCD about side quests which burns me out a fair bit, need to get more focused for 2016!

Right now the most fun i've had online has to be with Final Fantasy XIV ARR, i play it to the detriment of everything else sadly. Also love me some Diablo 3, Borderlands 2, Phantasy Star Online 2 and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
Past glories include Quake 3 arena, Armored Core, Final Fantasy XI and Twisted Metal Black, none of which are online in their original incarnations.
*edit* They just brought Twisted Metal Black to PS4....so happy ^_^